This message was sent by Eli Gorin, Hillel Class of ‘97:
Being that Mizne got his comments in before me, I no longer feel like the only old man reminiscing of his days at Hillel. I graduated in ‘97 in a class of 57 students (yes, I will be at the 10 year reunion on May 5th… I do get the almost daily reminders). The times I had at Hillel were unforgettable. Not necessarily because of the education received, but the life lessons learned through my friends and teachers. Now understand, my comments are based on my experiences in the high school, and I have no experience with any part of Hillel prior to the 9th grade.
As has been pointed out by a few others, Hillel has been in a maze of confusion ever since the unfortunate passing of Dr. Levy. He was a true mentsch and the reason that school stayed afloat. I worked with Dr. Levy on various occasions, and enjoyed the opportunity to sit down with him many times to just talk. Talk about school, life, the future. He had direction. Unfortunately it seems like no one else in the hierarchy of the school has any direction anymore.
I have been keeping up with all the news of the firings and hirings over the past few years. Each new name that was dropped was like a kick in the gutt. Sure when I went there 10 years ago I couldn’t wait to leave and was happy I wouldn’t have to sit in any of the teacher’s classes again. But that is your typical immature fresh out of high school graduate that is ecstatic to move on. But looking back on it, there were so many people that affected my life in such positive ways that to see them dismissed made me cringe. Whether the faculty members were dismissed or left by choice (or not much of a choice based on the circumstances they were working under), Hillel has lost an amazing assortment of talent. It was clear the direction of the school was going south upon hearing that one of the first people to “not have their contracts renewed” was Dr. Zakon.
The reasons I hear for the multiple changes of the guard are because of the various changes in “policy”. Everyone has their version of the stories, but it comes down to quality of education. The students from what I hear are being babied. They are not being challenged. Any attempts to truly challenge them result in reprimand. Who is running the school? Who is setting the policy? What kind of a tone is being set when the school goes through 3 administrators in the span of 6 years? Students in high school look forward to classes because they know a certain teacher is going to be instructing them. Mrs. Galitzer brought a passion to teaching Jewish History like almost no one I have ever seen. Rumor has it her dismissal stemmed from her not updating her lesson plans. How much has changed in Jewish History?? I never had class with Mrs. Heber, but I knew her from out of class. She had a connection with students that is rare to find. I remember my friends going to her class excited because it was HER class. Students are not just eager to learn because of the subject matter. They are eager to learn because of the person who is teaching them.
Going along David’s points… I may not remember the Pythagorean theorem… but I do remember Mr. Liebersfeld. I may not remember what To Kill A Mockingbird was about, or why we even read it, but I do remember Mr. C. and Ms. Barry. Who ruled the Mongolian Empire in whatever era it was ruled? Who knows… but I am sure Mrs. Konovitch taught me that at some point. If I were to mix the blue liquid with the green liquid, would I blow up the lab? I never found out because of Mr. Feilich and Mrs. Gorin (my aunt) keeping a tight and effective rein on their classes. And how else would I know how to take care of my now 14-month old son had it not been for Dr. Schwartzberg making me dress up a bag of flour as a baby? I could go on and on with the memories, but the point is, while the education received is of utmost importance, it is the people who are providing it that will be ingrained in the memories of the students that leave them behind. Lessons learned from the teachers from way back when were more than just from lesson plans. Whether we like to admit it or not, we learned life lessons from so many of the great people that were offloaded by the school administration.
I don’t know who today’s administrators are. I don’t know who is on the board nor what criteria they are using to make their decisions. I don’t know what people’s qualifications are or who is truly qualified to make these choices and set the policies. What it should all boil down to is, are choices being made in the best interest of the students? The basis of the decisions may stem from that premise… but the results seem to be far from it.
The image the school is trying to pass on to future students and their parentsis one in which everything is wonderful and flourishing. But is it really?
- Eli Gorin
Class of 1997
eli@eligorin.com
15 responses so far ↓
1 Isaac Sapoznik // Apr 5, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Well Said
2 Concerned Citizen // Apr 5, 2007 at 2:21 pm
So let’s get this straight:
Debbie Galitzer had been commended in Alumni Survey after survey for being an educator par excellence.
The school itself placed her as a Chairperson on the committee to help them get accredition for the school (from SACS)
And yet…because she did not physically submit lesson plans, she was fired?
GOOD ONE!!
3 Concerned Citizen // Apr 5, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Rabbi Druin used this same reason to fire Debbie Heber too, by the way.
This admin. team who eats, drinks, and pees together needs to come up with some better reasons for the wrongful dismissals…
They must think we’re all really stupid!
4 Eli Gorin // Apr 5, 2007 at 2:45 pm
To clarify what I said, the understanding I have is that Mrs. Galitzer was asked to teach something new. That is what I meant by not updating her lesson plans. I did not mean actually physically turning in her plans. Hence my comment about what is “new” in Jewish history. Fortunately we have a rich history behind us and a lot to learn. Unfortunately there just isnt enough time in the school year to teach it all.
5 Concerned Citizen // Apr 5, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Thank you for that clarification.
Indeed, without a firm understanding of the foundation of our people’s history, students would never be able to make sense of anything new going on today.
What possible “new” thing should be taught in place of this critical foundation?
Why use “new” methods to teach what is tried and true?
The administrators are engaging in logically fallacious thinking; I believe this logical fallacy is referred to as “New is Better”
Certainly, the new administration is NOT better.
As you rightly pointed out, the school has been tossing and turning without a pilot at the helm to navigate the ship since the forced resignation and untimely passing of Dr. Levy z’l.
The students’ opinions have counted for almost next to nothing.
6 Concerned Citizen // Apr 5, 2007 at 3:24 pm
At Ramaz, Jewish History (along with world history) is taught over 2 years–freshman and sophomore year to ensure that the emergence of the State of Israel and modern Israeli politics are covered.
A one year course of Jewish history could never cover more modern history also…to expect it to do so is unfathomable.
7 anon6d // Apr 6, 2007 at 3:48 pm
It is not wrong to ask a teacher to submit a lesson plan. The school needs to organize itself. What kind of message is being said when you make some teachers given a plan and the long time teachers dont need to. You might say that they have gained the trust of the authorities and do not need to hand one in after a certain time, but I have had those teachers….and I think many of them need to do start making these changes. And I think Mrs. Galitzer should ABSOLUTELY start teaching new things. It is just as important to learn about the last 50 years and the present State of Israel as it is to know what happened in 586 1080 and 70 A.D.
8 admin // Apr 6, 2007 at 7:05 pm
anon6d, you say: “And I think Mrs. Galitzer should ABSOLUTELY start teaching new things. It is just as important to learn about the last 50 years and the present State of Israel as it is to know what happened in 586 1080 and 70 A.D.”
Having learned with Galitzer as I mentioned earlier, this may be true, but I also know that my classroom days in Galitzer’s Jewish History Class were not filled with unnecessary chatter and discussion. Every word from Mrs. Galitzer’s lectures proved useful to me. She taught the curriculum from start to finish from day one until the day before finals. Now if you’re questioning whether the curriculum should be altered, but yet you say that “it is just as important to learn about the last 50 years and the present State of Israel as it is to know what happened in 586 1080 and 70 A.D.,” then I would be inclined to say that Jewish History does not deserve just a single year of study.
Perhaps Hillel should follow in Ramaz’s example and teach Jewish History over two years, because unless you are ready to eliminate very important teachings of Jewish history, then there needs to be more time dedicated to teaching Jewish History rather than revision of the current curriculum within the current allotted time block.
9 Isaac Sapoznik // Apr 6, 2007 at 11:33 pm
Anon6d: Whether I disagree with you or agree with you (which I don’t) is that a valid reason to just tell a teacher who has been there for sooo many years and has made an impact on sooo many people’s lives that she can’t teach anymore? What you are saying is that a technicality is grounds for firing a teacher. That seems pretty narrow minded to me.
The only thing I do agree with you is that the last 50 years of Israel should be incorporated into the curriculum. However, that is up to the administration to add another subject of Judaism and stop taking away from the Judaism subjects in the school. The year is not long enough to add the last 50 years. Where we came from is just as important as where we are now.
Add another class and stop firing teachers and subtracting Jewish classes and requirements. If anything we should give Mrs. Galitzer another class to teach instead of fire her and have to spend money to go look for and hire 2 new teachers that would have to teach what she can teach.
10 Concerned Citizen // Apr 7, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Ramaz is not the only premier Jewish day school to provide Jewish history over the course of 2 years (9th and 10th grade) to ensure modernity is covered…but so is Frisch which covers 2 years of Jewish history in (11th and 12th grade see below).
Furthermore, YULA makes all 12th graders take a special elective called Modern Israel IN ADDITION TO a year of history taken earlier.
It seems that ALL OF THE FINEST JEWISH DAY SCHOOLS ARE REQUIRING 2 YEARS of Jewish history, whereas HILLEL ONLY requires 1 YEAR and is now trying to eliminate the course altogether.
How unfair to expect Mrs. Galitzer to cover 2 years of information in 1 year…I doubt the person complaining is even a student….
Get real!
FYI– FRISCH:
11th Grade Jewish History
This course is a study of the Jewish Middle Ages. Students explore the political and social realities of Jewish life in early modern Western and Eastern Europe and the effects of the rise of the nation state, the Reformation and the rise of capitalism. The course also focuses on internal Jewish developments: Medieval Jewish thought, Lurianic Kabbalah, the Shulkhan Arukh, and the Sabbatean movement.
12th Grade
Seniors take an integrated course combining European History from the Renaissance through the fall of the Soviet Union and Jewish history from the mid-seventeenth century. The material is taught chronologically and thematically, highlighting the political, social, economic and cultural transition from Medieval to Modern times with emphasis on major issues such as the long-term political and socioeconomic repercussions of the Industrial Revolution. The Jewish History component of the course focuses on the Haskalah, Emancipation, political anti-Semitism, Zionism, the Holocaust, the establishment and development of Medinat Yisrael, and major trends in Jewish life and thought in the twentieth century.
11 Wealthow Anon the Bard // Apr 7, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Hmmm…I always filed lesson plans, always always gave copies of what I was doing to the Dept. Head…never had behavior issues…always taught my lessons..
12 Concerned Citizen // Apr 7, 2007 at 2:32 pm
A lesson plan is merely a piece of paper.
It is the teacher who either brings a lesson to life or doesn’t–mere words on a piece of paper are worthless.
Most of us have already realized this.
To illustrate, it has already been pointed out by several astute individuals that “The Blueprint to Excellence” is merely a piece of paper — filled with empty rhetoric.
The “Blueprint to Excellence” should contain LESS TALK and MORE ACTION or rather, more education:
Instead of watering down the curriculum by making Jewish history a one year course or no course at all, why not follow the examples of the TRULY “EXCELLENT” LIKE RAMAZ, FRISCH, YULA etc…and BEEF UP the curriculum to include 2 years of Jewish history instead of 1.
True “excellence” demands a bit more “rigor,” wouldn’t you agree?!
13 Eli Gorin // Apr 7, 2007 at 4:42 pm
Admin is correct. The issue is not a matter of not wanting to teach the information. I am sure Mrs. Galitzer would love to put in even more than she is already teaching. The problem is a matter of time. There is enough rich information in Jewish History to fill up years of education. The problem is the lack of time. I had the chance to take two very interesting classes in college at GWU (where i know some current Hillel alums are, and if they ever get the chance they should take these courses). The first was the history of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. This was one whole semester on one particular aspect of Jewish History. I also took a one semester course on the Holocaust. An entire semester dedicated just to the history of the Holocaust. One semester was barely enough time to cover the details of each of those courses. Mrs. Galitzer cannot be expected to invent the time to throw in more information. She was one of the most thorough teachers I ever had. As Admin mentioned, she never spoke of anything that was unnecessary.
I also have to say I find it interesting (and somewhat annoying) that the focus of the responses to what I had written is the “supposed” reason that she was dismissed. Again this was just something I had heard. I do not have any hard evidence to back this. If it was not the reason, then I was wrong. If it was one of the reasons, then we have covered it enough. Time to move on with this subect and focus on the real issues at hand. That there are teachers that the students will sorely miss being dismissed. They are not just going to be missed for their relationships with the students but for the wealth of information they were able to EFFECTIVELY teach.
14 Wealthow Anon the Bard // Apr 8, 2007 at 2:14 pm
True, a lesson plan can be a piece of paper BUT for most of us it is a reminder of what to actually teach! And, a lesson plan must be flexible, so that you can reflect more knowledge into the student(s) minds if you need to!
I feel that if putting medieval poetry to guitar music and having it sung makes the lesson easier to “get” for the students, do it!
15 Concerned Citizen // Apr 8, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Wealthow Anon the Bard,
I just googled “Wealthow”…it seems that she is a character in Beowulf. From that I can only surmise that you are the English teacher who was fired.
No one is questioning what you are saying–in general–about the purpose of lesson plans…
We were only questioning the various alleged farcical reasons given to fire some of our most beloved teachers –some of whom have been with us over 20 years– and who will be sorely missed.
These teachers have a long established track record of teaching EFFECTIVELY as Eli Gorin points out–
(lesson plan or no lesson plan…after you teach the same thing a million times, my goodness, I would HOPE you wouldn’t have to keep writing down your lesson plan..for seasoned teachers , teaching effectively is as natural and automatic as breathing is)
On the other hand, there are teachers who have great lesson plans and their track record stinks…
Sorry, whoever you are, that you got fired.
We don’t know you, so we can’t defend you…Your students are not rallying to defend you. Rightly or wrongly. We do not know and are not in a position to speculate.
But what we DO KNOW is that we are all miserable to see our beloved teachers like Helen Gorin, Ted Liebersfeld, Amy Gallup, have to leave the school because it has become a toxic environment, and at this very moment we are beyond saddened that Lefkowitz, Galitzer, and Heber have been wrongfully fired.
Eli and others are correct: at the end of the day, you may not remember the hypotenuse of a triangle, but you will forever remember the experience of being taught by a special individual who lovingly shared a wealth of knowledge with you and fostered your development as a human being.
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